By Jasmyn Belcher
Oswego, NY – About 1,700 soldiers in Upstate New York may be accruing interest on their student loans as they fight in Iraq or Afghanistan.
U.S. Senator Charles Schumer is working to change that. He's pushing for a bill that would suspend interest payments on federal student loans for all active duty service members.
Schumer says men and women serving in hostile areas shouldn't have to worry about interest payments while they're in a war zone.
"Everyday they put their lives on the line to defend America, they miss out on parts of life that most of us take for granted, first day of school, anniversaries, weddings, birthdays, graduations. One thing our troops don't get to miss out on, unfortunately is an accruing interest on their student loans," said Schumer.
New York ranks fourth in the country when it comes to students having large amounts of student loans to pay back after graduation.